


Magic In the Air

by marythewriter



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Cat!Adrien, F/M, Fairy Marinette, Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Mermaid Alya, Werecat Adrien, Werewolf Nino, fairy!marinette, hidden kingdom, how does one get discovered in a sea of fanfiction, mermaid!alya, wolf!nino
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 22:23:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9348956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marythewriter/pseuds/marythewriter
Summary: The Kindom of France is split into four large villages.The first, all blue-eyed folk - fairies with the magic of creation and life. The Village of Mulberry.The second, all hazel-eyed families - werewolves with the magic of nature and Earth. The Village of Middlebrooke.The third, an Ocean of brown eyed mermaids/ mermen. The Village of Evermore.The fourth, a human city, made up of normal people with all three eye colors: blue, hazel, and brown. The Village of Nightengale.Then, there is Adrien. Green eyes, quirky smile, and a personality that doesn't quite fit.





	1. Green Like the Stunning Grass on a Summer's Day

**Author's Note:**

> I thought the ML fantasy crossovers were pretty cool, so I went ahead and gave it a try.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino meets a mysterious boy under the bridge who calls himself Adrien.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter! Let me know if this fantasy AU is a good thing? Thanks!

Setting: Middlebrooke, Village of the Hazel-eyed Werewolves

Nino might have been five years old, but he believed himself to secretly be older. He was already three feet tall - a feat, for sure - and just last week, Mama had congratulated him on reciting the entire alphabet.

It had only taken him a week to learn numbers 1-20 - clearly, he was some sort of genius!

His older sister, Anita, did not think so. At ten years old - barely older than him! - she'd rolled her eyes and scolded him. "Nino, don't go growing a big head, now. All the other children can recite numbers and letters. You need to get a hold of yourself."

He'd stomped his left boot and crossed his arms with a great huff. "You're just jealous that I'm more special than you, Anita. I heard mama talking after last full moon, and she said I'm the strongest cub she ever saw!"

Anita only scoffed. "Nino, mama said so because you're her only son. She wouldn't have said a thing if you were somebody else's boy."

Nino had been greatly offended whilst listening to her. "Mama only says somethin' if it's true! She's the smartest, nicest, best cooking, best cleaner, best mama in the whole village! No, in the whole France! I take that back - in the whole world!"

Anita had protested, and Nino had fought back. The argument continued until he'd... "accidentally" thrown a rock at her dumb-sister-face.

This had prompted mama to send Nino out to do extra chores as punishment.

Now, he sat by the river, situated on a wooden bench as he peeled oranges for the marketplace.

For each piece of peel that he tore off, the child grumbled on about something or other.

Peel.

"Stupid Anita!"

Peel.

"Stupid Anita's face hole!"

Peel.

"Stupid Anita's dumb clothes!"

Peel.

"Stupid Anita's-"

"Who's Anita?"

Nino dropped the orange he held and looked up towards the old wooden bridge.

Certainly he was imagining things...

Up in the overlapping steel beams that held up the bridge was a boy. He was perched up above the water, crouched on one beam and holding the nearest horizontal one for support. He had to have been around Nino's age, as he looked about the same size as Nino. He had tuffs of golden hair, but Nino couldn't see his eyes.

Nino adjusted his old glasses and stood up. "Who are you?"

The boy smiled. Even in the cover of the bridge, his teeth glowed perfectly white. "I'm Adrien."

Nino, assessing the situation, crossed his arms. "I'm Nino. I'm almost six," he bragged.

Adrien cocked his head to the side. "I'm five," he agreed, before frowning. "I'm not sure of when I'll be six."

Nino shrugged. "That's alright. Hey- how will you get down from there?" He allowed his eyes to trace the beams all the way up to where Adrien sat. It had to have been a good ten meters.

All of the sudden, bubbling laughter filled the air. Nino frowned as Adrien giggled. "What do you mean? I'll jump!"

Nino gasped. "You can't! It's too high, you'll be hurt. Only the fairies from Mulberry can do that, and they've got wings! Besides, there's water below you!"

Adrien smirked. "Well, I'm not a fairy from Mulberry, but I can jump!" He lifted from his perch and readied his legs.

"No!" Nino cried. "Please don't jump, you could die-"

As the word die escaped his lips, Nino watched the horrific scene unfold.

Down jumped his new friend Adrien, and he did not fall straight. The boy rotated backwards, and Nino could see the end in slow motion- he'd hit the cold water with his head.

Instead, the boy rotated fully until he landed standing up, without a single sound, on the tip of a rock jutting out of the river.

Unharmed and pleased with himself, Adrien looked up grinning.

Nino's eyes blew wide as he studied the kid in better light.

In all of France, there were just three eye-colors - blue, hazel, and brown. However, Adrien's eyes looked not like the sea, or the swamp water, or even the rich chocolates in center square.

They were green like the stunning grass on a summer's day.

Nino gasped. "Who are you? What are you?"

Adrien smirked. "Haven't you ever seen a werecat before?"

•••

"So, what's the plan again?" Asked Adrien.

Nino led him through the back yard of the cottage, holding his finger to his lips as they passed Mama and Papa's room, just in case they'd returned early. "So, we're gonna tell mama that you're a werewolf like all of us in the village, only a fairy from Mulberry cursed your eyes green."

The other boy nodded in understanding as they stepped over the logs Papa had been preparing for winter stove-fires. "But that won't work, will it? On the next full moon, I'll be a cat instead of a wolf - no, compared to you guys, I'll be a runty little kitten!"

"Hm," pondered Nino, opening the back door as the two stepped into the kitchen. He remained silent as they removed their shoes.

After checking to make sure none of Nino's family was home, the two trekked up to the attic where Nino slept.

Opening the door, Nino sprung up onto his toes. "I've got an idea!" He exclaimed. "On the night of the full moon, you can tell Mama that your own mama needs you home, but instead of leaving, you can just stay up in my room and do whatever cats are s'posed to do."

As per usual with a five year old, this got Nino very off track. "What do cats do? Are they fluffy? One time my aunt got this real strange doggy called a... chihuawawawawow or somethin'. I thought it was gonna be fluffy but then I pet it and it was like a skinny rat."

Adrien crinkled his nose. "Rats are weird," he agreed.

Nino opened the door fully and Adrien gasped. "This place is spectacular!" He whispered in awe.

Nino frowned. "All I got is a bed in here, though. And my clothes too. But my bed isn't that nice. I told Mama I wanted one straight from Mr. Benny - you know Mr. Benny?" He asked, as five year olds thought everyone knew everyone else.

"I've never met a Mr. Benny before," Adrien answered honestly.

"He's the carpenter," Nino explained. "But mama said Mr. Benny was a mean old man who steals coins from good hard workers, so we just got it from my old Uncle John."

Adrien flopped onto the bed. "Well I like your bed," he decided. "I've never had something like this before."

Nino shrugged. "I heard papa talkin' about Grandma Joanne having a bed to get rid of. Maybe you can have it," he offered.

Adrien smiled. "Thanks. Must be weird having all these family members. How do ya' keep track of all of em'?"

Nino walked over to his dresser and started digging around for something. "What do you mean? Don't you have lots of family from the werecat village?"

Adrien frowned. "I don't think there _is_ a werecat village. I only lived with papa in the forest," he explained.

Nino whipped around and paused his rummaging. "Alone?! In the forest? With no mama?"

Adrien sighed. "With no mama," he confirmed. "That's why I came to Middlebrooke. Papa was real mean, and I didn't wanna stay there anymore."

Nino gasped once more. "A mean papa? That's awful! How come he ain't nice? My papa's real nice. Teaches me how to make instruments and musical noises, too."

Adrien shrugged. "I dunno', he was just mean. Real mean. I had to go before he did somethin' bad."

Nino shut his drawer, having given up his search for the story Adrien was telling. "Why would ee' do something bad to you?"

Adrien sat up and hugged his knees close. "He didn' like lookin' at me. Said I wasn't right. Said no werecats oughta exist."

Nino, one who did not show compassion easily, was moved by the statements. He climbed up onto his bed so that he sat right next to Adrien. Slinging an arm around the blonde's neck, he grinned ear to ear. "Well, you ain't with him anymore. We're gonna be best friends, I can tell ya' so. Just like brothers, you and me."

Adrien smiled. "I think so, too," he admitted.

But Nino couldn't escape the nagging in his mind. Even at such a young age, something was... off.

"Don't get mad at me for askin', but you said your papa doesn't like werecats. But he's your papa, so don't that make him a werecat?"

Adrien shook his head. "My papa's like you. Hazel eyes' werewolf from Middlebrooke. Mama lied to him, said she was just a human from Nightengale. Her eyes were just barely like mine, they looked hazel, ev'n know they was green. But she was like me, you see. Papa found out and he got real mad. He-" Adrien quickly sniffled, because five year olds wanted to be cool, and crying was not cool to them at all. "One night, he took Mama out back from the house we was livin' in. There was screamin' and cryin' and then Papa came back in. Never saw Mama once more after that. Never."

Nino peered into the forest-green eyes of his newfound companion and took great pity. A life without Mama, a life without a village - that sort of life would be very sad.

"Don't worry," he told Adrien. "You can share my mama with me, and my papa too. And you can be my new brother, and Anita can be your big sister," he continued, bouncing with anticipation. "Ooh!" He exclaimed, quickly adding onto his plan. "Maybe when we get big, we can find out if your mama really died, and we can go on a big adventure! Surely your mama didn't come from thin air... there's gotta be somebody else out there like you, I just know it!"

Adrien blinked. "Do ya' really think so?" He asked carefully. "Do you think there's another green-eyed werecat out there?" His expression was clouded with doubt, and his golden eyebrows were drawn close together.

Nino laughed. "Well, of course! Don't you know where babies come from?"

Adrien shook his head. "Never heard it."

A twinkle took over Nino's hazel eyes as he jumped off the bed. Standing was much better for storytelling, after all. Taking a deep breath, he began to recite the story Mama told him each and every night.

"In lonely, working, Nightingale; In dreamlike, soaring, Mulberry; In stormy, friendly, Middlebrooke; In rushing, freshening, Evermore: there are the folk of France.

"Blue eyes, brown eyes, hazel eyes together; all wishing for love.

"When one folk wishes to fall in love, they should set upon a journey. After all, blue eyes may love hazel. Hazel may love brown. Love sees no eye-color, and therefore, love sees no village.

"When one folk meets their true love, they may conceive a child. If the two lovers are of different eye-colors, the child will have one or the other.

"The easiest way to conceive a child is to..."

"To what?" Asked Adrien eagerly. His heart was soaring. Love sees no eye-color. That meant someone could love him!

Nino took a deep breath and shrugged. "Mama says I'm not supposed to hear the end because there's kissing, and little-" he puffed up his chest, "- I mean, big children like me shouldn't hear about it."

Adrien gasped. "You can make a baby by kissing?"

Nino nodded in confirmation. "Crazy, right? I hope I marry somebody real pretty. That way my baby will be pretty too."

Adrien laughed. "Nino!" He giggled, "The story said true love! True love can't see, 'member? That means it doesn't matter if you're pretty!"

Nino giggled back and threw a pillow at Adrien.

•••

The great plan had not really worked out for the two boys.

Especially when, at dinner, in front of Papa and Anita, Mama had stared at Nino with angry eyes. "Nino," she began with gritted teeth. "Fairies cannot change eye-color. Our eyes are determined by ancient magic of the species. I know you're lying to me."

Nino shrunk back from his family. "Please, don't make Adrien leave! He's up in my room, you haven't even met him! He's so nice, and-"

Mama only rolled her eyes. "Nino, I don't know what mess you've gotten yourself into, but I will not allow you to drag this entire family down with..."

Nino had stood then, dropping his fork into the soup in front of him. "Exactly! Our family... Adrien doesn't have a family, Mama. His papa's real mean, and he hurt Adrien's mama, too. He never even saw her again! He's real nice, and we're already the best of friends. Please Mama, just meet him. I know you'll change your mind."

Anita scoffed. "What kind of kid has green eyes? No werewolf child."

Mama glanced towards Anita sternly. "Don't be ridiculous, Anita. Nino tried to make some ridiculous full moon excuse. Of course he's a werewolf."

Nino sat back down as he began to laugh loudly and quite nervously.

Papa frowned. "Nino, is there something you aren't telling us?"

Nino sighed. "I guess you'll have to see for yourselves."

•••

Nino had been expecting Adrien to be sitting up on the bed, waiting for them to arrive upstairs - after all, that was the agreed plan.

Instead, he found his curtains thrown open all around the room so that the attic glowed with the sun-rays dancing inside.

On the bed, Adrien slept in a ball, practically bathing in the sunlight. A low rumble echoed from his form, gently shaking the bed.

Mama's eyes blew wide, just as Anita asked, "Is that boy purring?"

Nino winced. "Well, that's the thing. He isn't a werewolf, persay. More like a werecat. Cat? Maybe kitten. I'm not sure."

Mama and Papa stared with open mouths as Anita blinked continuously.

At least they weren't yelling?

Then, Mama burst.

She ran to the bedside and cooed, lifting the child into her arms. "He's so - so cute!"

Having been deprived of a parental figure for much too long, the sleeping Adrien curled into Mrs. Lahiffe.

"Oh, you precious little thing!" She held him to her chest and beamed.

Papa rolled his eyes. "Something tells me that we've just gained a new family member."

Anita sighed. "Two Ninos," she shivered. One was more than enough.

Next chapter: eleven years later


	2. Border Patrol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Marinette encounter two criminals attempting to cross the border.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been like a year since I updated so I recommend reading chapter one as a refresher.  
> No technology in this era, save for the rich. Wealthier villages, Mulberry and Evermore where Alya and Marinette live have electricity. Nightingale and Middlebrooke (adrien and Nino's home town), the poor villages, have no electricity.

Sixteen year-old Nino awoke at half-past three. The nearly-full moon shone through the inn's window and tugged at his bones, reminding him of who - and what - he was. His mind was racing and his chest thumped with anger.

It was too late.

He had been too late.

His mother was dead. His father died trying to save her. His sister blamed him for it all. And tomorrow - tomorrow would be hell.

Anita, his eldest and only sibling, would report him to the village judge. She was a doctor. She had children and a wife. She was part of the village council.

Nino was no one. Too old to be tried as a child and too young to be taken seriously. He was a poor musician who spent his nights playing box-drums in the village square.

They would believe her testimonies. Nino's life was coming to a close.

He'd never had a good relationship with his sister. She was always the favorite - favorite student, favorite doctor, favorite person. Nino laughed bitterly. Favorite child, probably.

He truly hadn't meant to cause any death or harm. He'd been woodworking in the back yard, determined to make new drumsticks. Cutting the wood had been too tedious and so he'd sent Adrien to grab some matches. He was only going to burn away some excess wood and continue carving.

_Adrien approached him with a match and lighting tool._

_Nino reached out with a smile. "Thanks, man. I'll have these done in no time."_

_Adrien had lounged into the grass and begun sunbathing like the cat he was. Nino turned back to his project, visions of beautiful women enjoying his music urging him to continue._

_It was a hot day, really. Only the rich had those peculiar spinning machines to disperse the air, and Nino's shirt stuck to his back. If only he could get some sort of breeze to cool him down._

_An hour later, he was almost done. With the match lit, Nino bent down and lit the bonfire. The flames grew larger and larger until a sizable flame had built up in the backyard. At the sound of a thundercrack, Nino looked warily to the darkening clouds plaguing the Northern skies. A storm was coming._

_On cue, a steady breeze began to shake the trees around them. Adrien perked his head up, eyes wide. "Nino! The fire!"_

_Nino turned to the bonfire. In slow motion, he saw the wind push the flames directly into his home. With a horrific gasp from both boys, the house of old, dry wood burst into flames._

_"No!"_

_The boys barely registered Nino's father running in from_   _next-door. "My wife!" he'd cried. "I have to save her!"_

_He'd bolted inside, and without hesitation, Nino broke into a dead-sprint for the home._

_Suddenly, he found himself tackled to the ground by a blond blur. Green, teary eyes peered into his own. "It's too late," Adrien had cried. "The house is as good as gone. It's just too late."_

Nino rolled over to face the wall. He shouldn't have been staying in an inn. He should've been home, with his mother and father. 

After rolling around for an hour, Nino knew he had to get up and do something. What "something" meant, he had no idea. 

He was almost at the inn door when Adrien spoke. "Where are you going?"

Adrien rarely slept at night, as cats were primarily nocturnal.

Nino sighed. "Enjoying my last bit of freedom before I'm executed, I suppose."

Glowing green eyes cocked to the side. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be killed too. Anita's never liked what I am. This is her opportunity to bring me down, and you know it."

Nino growled angrily. "I just... I wish there was something we could do, somewhere we could go."

Adrien shuffled around. "Well... technically, if we got outside of Middlebrooke's borders, they couldn't-"

"No," said Nino. "It would never work. We can't just sneak across a village border. It's a silly childhood dream that could never come true."

Adrien leapt up. "Don't you see, Nino? We aren't just children anymore. You'll be seventeen in just fourteen sundowns, me in only four moon cycles. We're men now, and we've got nothing to lose. If we stay, we die. If we leave... maybe, just maybe, we'll find something for ourselves."

Nino didn't speak for a good few moments. When he did, there was a feral determination in his eyes. "We leave now."

\---

Marinette couldn't help but sigh as she read Alya's newest article about illegal activity. Lately, criminals from the lowly villages of Nightengale (where the humans resided) and Middlebrooke (home of the werewolves) had been slipping through the borders of Mulberry and Evermore, where the good, heroic fairies and merpeople lived.

Each village had its own laws, and once criminals passed the borders, they were free men. The once crime-free streets of Marinette's hometown Mulberry had been plagued with robbery, rape, and murder.

She sighed, flicking her wrist delicately. The newspaper rose into the air, folding itself and landing in the pile by her window. Hundreds of newspapers sat there, all of which Marinette had saved for the sake of her best friend, Alya.

Alya was an aspiring journalist specializing in illegal activity. Unlike most mermaids, she practically lived on land, growing legs each morning to patrol the border walls surrounding Mulberry and Evermore. She and Marinette had met years ago when Alya was in need of an illustrator for her works and had found Marinette to be quite artistic.

Marinette enjoyed the doodling, but did wish to someday work in fashion. Having grown her wings, she was having trouble finding pretty clothing that allowed them to unfold from her back. The only clothing that really did so was expensive flying gear made of mesh and sweat-wicking material. Was a dress too much to ask for? Aparently, it was, as she'd been attempting a prototype for two full season cycles.

Just as she was about to turn back to her sewing corner, the door to her room burst open. Alya bent down and panted momentarily before quickly running to her friend. "The Mulberry Post is allowing me to write this week's piece on the border crossings! That's the third week in a row!"

Marinette smiled and rolled her eyes.  "Obviously. I mean, you're the best. But... do I really have to go with you this time? I've got a lot of work to do. This dress isn't going to design itself."

Alya scoffed, as if shocked by Marinette's suggestion. "You're in too deep to abandon me now, Marinette. But don't worry - you'll be thankful when I'm rich and famous!"

Marinette sighed and stood, quickly changing into an outfit more suitable for the village and less suitable for, well, sleeping.

\---

A couple of sky-carriages later, Marinette and Alya had reached the beautiful golden fence that protected Mulberry and Evermore from the lesser villages. The two girls walked along the fence until they were far enough into the woods to see no guard towers. This was, after all, the sort of place where a criminal could sneak in.

Technically, anyone could cross into any village, provided they suffered a long background check and filled out the proper paperwork. The people sneaking in through a section of the fence hidden by forest usually did so because they had a reason not to go through the background check. It was Alya's job to spot those criminals in action, contact the authorities, and write up a detailed report to be published in the newspaper. It was Marinette's job to pretend she wasn't bored.

About two hours later, Alya jumped up at the sound of banging against the golden fence - someone was climbing. Soon enough, a tan boy with dark hair and hazel eyes around their age dropped down into the grass. Rubbing some dirt off of his knees, he stood up and turned-  straight into Alya.

"Congratulations," Alya  grinned. "You're starring in this week's edition of 'Alya Cesaire - Border Wall Vigilante'."

The werewolf stuttered and backed up. "Woah, I was just... I mean... I'm not a criminal," he promised. "I'm not illegal - okay, I am illegal, but still, if you'd just let me explain-"

Alya laughed. "Oh, save your breath for the arrest interview. Marinette, send a message to the authorities."

Marinette, barely even looking up, lazily opened her cell phone and typed out a message.

The criminal's eyes widened. "Is that a phone? I've never seen-"

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can-" Alya began.

"Wait! Just hear me out for a second," cried the boy. "I'm being persecuted, I've got no where else to go. And, uh, I've brought a poor little orphan with me. He's just over the fence. He needs help."

Marinette finally stood, and made her way over to the pair. "An orphan? Yeah, right. Don't listen to him, Alya."

The boy swallowed. "No, seriously, he's an orphan. What a piece that would be: _Border patrol aids helpless orphan in a lovely plot twist_."

Marinette gritted her teeth. "Ignore him, Alya." But it was too late. She saw the look on Alya's face. The disaster was approaching, and quickly.

Alya grinned. "Tell me your name, and then tell me about this story. And maybe - _maybe_ \- if I like it, we'll let you off with a warning."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm Nino Lahiffe," he says. "I know an orphan. I'm getting him over the fence as a public service."

After a beat of silence, both girls erupted into laughter. "No way you thought we'd buy that," snorted Alya.

Nino pursed his lips. "If he comes over the fence - the little orphan, I mean - and I was lying, feel free to arrest us."

Marinette and Alya rolled their eyes. Alya sighed and gestured to the fence, still taking diligent notes of the ordeal. Some guy pretending to help an orphan? The public was going to eat this up! "Sure," said Alya. "Send over your little orphan."

"Adrien," called Nino. "We're good to go!"

A graceful blur came flying over the fence, landing crouched just before Marinette. She took a step back warily. This was no little orphan. This was a young man.

"Hey, idiot, we were promised a little orphan. Tell your friend to stand up and line up for arrest," said Alya. "And why is he keeping his head down? Is he dumb? Like, clinically?" Alya asked.

"He _is_ an orphan," Nino defended. "He just happens to be sixteen. And... his head is down because he's... napping?"

Marinette turned back to the young man, who immediately sprung up. "I'm awake!" he exclaimed, turning his face to Marinette.

Marinette screamed and tumbled backwards.

Alya rushed over to protect her friend, stopping when she saw his eyes - his very green eyes."What the hell?" She stepped towards him to study his face. What are you?

"Werewolf," said the boy, just as Nino said "Human." Then, "I meant human," the boy explained, just as Nino explained "I meant werewolf." The two exchanged glances. "What I meant to say was that I'm half and half," said the tall blonde.

Marinette stood up, her wings beginning to pulse with suspicion. "What's up with your eyes?" she asked.

"He... has a disease," said Nino, slinging his arm over the boy's shoulder.

Alya raised an eyebrow. "What kind of disease?"

The blonde young man winced. "Um... grass disease. Turns your eyes the color of grass. Crazy, right?"

Marinette crossed her arms. "It's crazy, alright. And it sounds totally dangerous. Better get you two idiots to jail before it spreads, am I right, Alya?"

Alya nodded. "The authorities should be here any minute. Sorry, but, this orphan is old enough to help himself. Besides, we don't help criminals."

Nino and the second young man exchanged glances. Then, the unnamed boy turned to Marinette. "If you were wondering," he said, "My name is Adrien."

Marinette rolled her eyes and glanced back at the faraway road. "Hello, Adrien," she spat sarcastically. 

"Hello," he said, "And Goodbye."

At once, Adrien and Nino took off into the dense wood. Alya and Marinette shared just one look before taking off after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't promise I'll update soon. Was the dialogue towards the end confusing? Felt confusing to me.


End file.
